Jacky Leung was near the top of Ben Nevis when two camera operators walked past him, and then a “very lean female hiker” stopped for a photo with him. It took a second. Then he knew who she was: the Princess of Wales.
Leung, who posted the account on Instagram, said he was “so confused and so psyched at that split-second.” She asked if he was all right. He said he was good and was just waiting for his friends.
“Did you make it to the top?” she asked, according to Leung. “Yeah, we were lucky to get it to the top,” he answered. “Well done!” she said.
He told her she was so inspiring. She thanked him, he said, and then “power-walked up with very strong spirit.” Leung said he could not find the right words to greet her. His friends were no help. “My friends did not notice her at all!” he said, adding that not many people recognised her on the way up.
The Three Peaks
The princess was midway through the National Three Peaks Challenge, which links the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales: Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. She finished inside 24 hours after setting off on Saturday evening. Kensington Palace believes she is the first member of the royal family to complete it.
Her husband, Prince William, met her at the end with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, along with her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her brother James Middleton.
The palace said she took on the climb for “personal” reasons, to raise money for a cancer charity and “explore life beyond diagnosis.” In a video she said: “Lots of people have asked me why I’m doing this challenge, and partly, it’s personal.” She added: “I’m so grateful to be here, to be strong enough to walk these hills. But, more importantly, it’s to give something back.”
The charity is The Royal Marsden. “Through this challenge, I want to raise awareness for the deeper impact of serious illness and the importance of holistic healthcare,” she said. Dame Cally Palmer, the trust’s chief executive, thanked her for the “generous support that will make a difference to the lives of so many cancer patients and their families.”
Leung called it an “epic day” and offered his “deepest respect to Her Royal Highness for such an incredible feat of endurance!”
